If you wanted to sum up what Christian maturity looks like in one word it would be Jesus. If we were to reach full maturity it would look like us living our lives like Jesus would live them. Ephesians 4 shows us a glimpse of what this look like, how God gets us there and it reminds us that the journey to maturity isn’t meant to be taken alone.
For three years the land of Israel has been without rain as punishment for their idol worship. The results of this type of drought would have been catastrophic to the people. Yet, despite the discipline God had placed his people under, they still wavered over whether God alone was truly God. To ultimately show God’s power and Baal’s impotence it would take the obedience, boldness, faith, and prayers of Elijah in concert with God displaying his mighty power to move the people to acknowledge God as God. Imagine what it must have been like for Elijah to stare down King Ahab, or stand-alone against the prophets of Baal, it must have been nerve wracking. But, because of his obedience and faith God answered the prayers of Elijah, and shows his glory and power as the one and only real God to the people.
If there was one story in scripture that scared me more than any other this is the one. I mean sure, God punished and struck people dead in the Old Testament, but this was the New Testament! It’s a shocking story that may seem out of place to us who may have been tempted to believe that God somehow changes in his character and disposition between the Old Testament and the New. Through the story of Ananias and Sapphira we are reminded that God is still a holy God, that takes sin and truth seriously, and that he deserves our awe, our fear and our whole-hearted worship.
If you’ve ever read a children’s bible you’ve probably come across this story, accompanied by a picture of cuddly, cute lions, with smiles on their faces. What I’m guessing you didn’t see in those children’s bible pictures was the bones and blood splatters of all the previous victims the Lions had killed and eaten but I’m guessing that’s what Daniel would have seen as he was thrown into their den. But Daniel didn’t join the ranks of the previous victims who had been eaten by the lion. Because Daniels faith in God was greater than his fear of men God rescued him. The same remains true today, for all of us that place our faith in God above all else, demonstrating that faith through walking in obedience to him, no matter how difficult the situations we may find ourselves in, our rescue through Christ is assured.
Imagine being the Disciple of Jesus who receives the title of “doubting.” Thomas was one of the original 12 Disciples who spent three years with Jesus – learning from him and participating in his ministry. But in one moment of disbelief, when confronted with the impossible news of the resurrection, Thomas has been seen by many as merely “the one who doubted.” But it is important to understand that Thomas’ story is not unique. Many of us experience real doubt, even when we know we shouldn’t. We must learn from this story how to doubt well, and how to journey toward real faith. We also must learn how doubt does not need to define us.
Imagine being the Disciple of Jesus who receives the title of “doubting.” Thomas was one of the original 12 Disciples who spent three years with Jesus – learning from him and participating in his ministry. But in one moment of disbelief, when confronted with the impossible news of the resurrection, Thomas has been seen by many as merely “the one who doubted.” But it is important to understand that Thomas’ story is not unique. Many of us experience real doubt, even when we know we shouldn’t. We must learn from this story how to doubt well, and how to journey toward real faith. We also must learn how doubt does not need to define us.
The story of David and Goliath may be the prototypical Sunday School story. A story that is likely familiar to anyone who grew up in church and one that even many who have never darkened the door of a church have heard of. It’s the story of a shepherd boy who with only sling and five stones took down the giant who had been terrorizing the entire armed forces of Israel. Ultimately though, the story isn’t a call to be like David and face down our giants, it’s a story that reminds us that no matter how big, brutal and scary the giants we face are, if God goes with us we have nothing to fear. In fact, if there’s one thing we need to know is true about all every story we’re going to study this summer, it’s that God is the ultimate hero of every story.
“Do this in remembrance of me.” This was the command given to the disciples in the Upper Room as they took the bread and the cup together on the night Jesus was betrayed. This command to regularly partake of the bread and the cup through the practice of communion is then repeated and given to the whole church by Paul in 1 Corinthians 11. The taking of these elements functions as a tangible and constant reminder to all followers of Jesus not only of the price that was paid for our forgiveness but also of the reality of the forgiveness we have received, of the extent of the grace that has been poured out us, and of the fact that Jesus will return to finish what he started and complete the work of making all things new. Communion is a time for us to celebrate the incredibly good news of Jesus.
As the Teacher takes stock of all he has observed he reminds all of us, but particularly the young, to hold two realities in tension. First, we should enjoy the good things in life that God gives us, but as we do so we need to remember that All of life is to be lived in light of the fact that we will each die and stand before God to give an account.